Yellow Lights
April 9th, 2025
Writer: Brooke Edelman
Editor: Lexie Meltzer
Despite yellow being one of my favorite colors, radiating sunshine and positivity, and Yellow Lights by Harry Hudson being one of my favorite songs, when yellow appears on the traffic light ahead of me, my body’s only choice is fight or flight.
I am not proud to admit that yellow lights have produced countless tears and terrified yells as I learned how to drive. The stress-induced state of mind I enter may appear quite comical to a stranger, but in the moment, it feels as though my life depends on the changing of the colors in front of me.
To press on the brake or hit the gas. It seems easy: when you’re too far, you slow down. But as I approached the light, forced to decide whether or not to try to make it through, I held on for dear life. The tears flowed when I made the wrong call, and the smile widened when I got it right: this split-second decision became my largest bump in the road.
But somewhere, amidst the yellow light tears and the hollers, I’ve taken ownership of the driver’s seat and the decisions that come with it. I shifted gears to a new tradition, one a bit brighter, a little more yellow. I’ve traded the tears for a kiss to the roof.
A kiss to the roof, a high-five to my passenger, and a big smile reflected off the rearview mirror: the little things that express feelings of pride and excitement. The reality kicks in that the split-second decision gets smaller the further I drive away. Life is filled with decisions to make, just as quickly as it takes for the light to switch from yellow to red. And although the switch may only take ten seconds, it often feels like too little time and too much time, all at once.
But with practice, I’ve learned to appreciate the space given to make decisions, finding beauty in the warnings and deadlines that grant me the space to decide what’s best for me at any given moment. That’s the beauty of the yellow light; they allow us to go with our gut, all the while permitting us to slow down time.
To slam on the brakes or step on the gas. The decision is dependent on you: where you are when the yellow light shines. And though your distance may determine your decision, keep your eyes on the road, and look forward to what lies ahead —all things yellow, shining over hints of green and red.
Though I still hate yellow lights, the feeling of sending a kiss to the roof makes them a whole lot better.
